Online Interview with HBCU Digest

Had an interesting week. I was interviewed by one of my favorite sources for news surrounding HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). My love for Black colleges goes without question. Both my parents went to HBCUs (My Mom met my Dad at Florida Memorial and got her 1st Masters at Clarke College), and 2 of my kids went to Howard University. HBCU Digest was kind enough to give me an opportunity to tell part of my story as well as my views on the future of HBCUs. It’s a great site that covers everything from Campus News to Post Graduate milestones. Read the interview here, then check out the entire site here.

Sure. Here’s a quick history lesson: HBCUs actually were “invented” in 1837, 26 years before the end of slavery. Richard Humphreys, a Quaker philanthropist, founded the Institute for Colored Youth to train free blacks to become teachers. The school had moved from Philadelphia to Cheyney, where it eventually became Cheyney University, and by 1902 at least 85 schools were set up by white philanthropists, free blacks, states or churches to educate sons and daughters of former slaves. Until 1954 and the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education, which ended “separate but equal” school systems, HBCUs were the number 1 option for most blacks interested in attending college.

Today on HBCU campuses black astronauts and four-star generals, the former black commander of the Pacific fleet and the chairman of the board of the world’s largest brokerage visit to say: Come in, the water’s fine. Dream whatever you choose. Computer scientists and black women airline pilots of mega-sized 747’s from, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, go to work every day, well prepared to handle business with the foundation laid by their HBCUs.

One of the most important factors that contributed to the evolution of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities was the financial support that started to be offered by the alumni and African American supporters. Millions of dollars being donated to HBCUs from noted public figures such as Bill Cosby, helped to build a new image for many of the colleges that at one time existed without any real financial backing. The choir at Howard University had a song in its repertoire that was a favorite for many years: Keep On Inching Along. Perhaps that should be the theme of America’s proud Historically Black Colleges and Universities as they enter the twenty-first century riding on a legacy of success against the odds.

Over 100 years later, Historically Black Colleges and Universities still stand. Their character and missions will continue to change and evolve but best believe they will be around for many years to come.